All things in moderation and this is true of Red Wine which actually can be considered a Super Food to Drink when taken in small portions. Besides – how can we eat all of these wonderful Super Foods without something to wash them down?
The benefits of wine come from the grapes and in particular from the grape skins. Since red wines leave the skins in longer during their process, they have more benefits than other wines. Look for wines that are made from grapes that were grown in northern, or high places. Resveratrol (a powerful anti-oxidant) is produced when the grapes are under “attack” from fungus and disease, so the higher concentrations of resveratrol come from places like the Nuoro province in Sardinia and the Madiran in the Pyreness. Wines from these areas have up to 10x more compounds than southern, warm climate places like Australia or South Africa.
Here is the good stuff that is found in Red Wine:
1% of red wine is vitamins like Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Choline, Betaine, Lutien, Zeaxathin and Vitamins A, B, K and G.
1% of wine is minerals like sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphours, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, flouride and selenium.
Another 1% is made up of grape thaumatin like proteins and amino acids.
And finally the rest is made up of all the good stuff in grapes – OPC’s, Resveratrol, Flavonoids, Bioflavonoids, Phenolic Compounds, Catechins, Tannins, Anthycyanins and Quercetin.
Places that Grow the Healthiest Grapes
- The Cannonau Grapes from The Nuoro Province in Sardinia
- Nebbiolo Grapes from the Lombardy region of Italy
- Tannat Grapes from the Madiran Region of France
- Sagratino Grapes from Tuscany, Italy
- Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes from the Chile or Argentina
- Dark Muscadine Grapes from North Carolina
So raise a glass to good health – just make sure it is Red Wine!
Don’t forget to join us at 12noon on Wednesday for the #HGEATS twitter chat – the topic this week is Healthy Appetites – Super Foods We Love!
